Etowah High School’s swim team defended its title at the Cherokee County swim meet and took back their first-place trophy. With a total of 691 points, the Aqua Eagles defeated their rivals of Woodstock, along with five other teams who attended the invitational. Both the girls and boys came in first place for a clean sweep.

“At the beginning of the season, I knew we had a great team, and I’m very proud of how well we swam,” Ian Notarthomas, swim team manager, said.

The team as a whole performed well, and there were some standout swimmers. One of the team’s senior captains, Joey Young, came in first overall in both the 200 Backstroke and the 200 Freestyle. His twin brother, Jonathon, also received two overall wins in the 500 Freestyle and the 100 Butterfly. Cole Dallas, freshman, placed second in the 100 Butterfly after Jonathon. Both Young boys placed first in the 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Free Relay. Lilly Zamorano, junior, beat Woodstock’s Lilly Byrne to win the girls 500 freestyle. Payton Smith, freshman, placed first in the 100 Butterfly while fellow freshman Katarina Kochansky took third.

“Our team came together for the grand finale, and we left it all in the pool. I am so proud to be a part of the Etowah swim team, and I hope that this team’s dedication and hard work continues to pay off in the future,” Drew Madsen, senior captain, said.

With the season coming to a happy close, all that is left for the Aqua Eagles is the state competition. With the help of many talented swimmers, the team and its four senior captains are excited to finish the season strong and return even stronger next year.